The following executive sponsorship development methodology has been designed and proven by Peter Taylor – find out more peter.b.taylor@btinternet.com

Critical to any project’s success is having a good project manager. We all know that, but then it is also pretty important to have a good project sponsor: but like the saying goes ‘you can pick your friends but you can’t pick you relatives’. The same might be said of project sponsors.

It has been my experience that the skill profile of project managers continues to grow, and more and more organisations are investing in project managers in a disciplined and mature manner. But the same cannot always be said of project sponsors; many wrongly believe that project sponsor is just a figurehead – never called to actual duty – and for these reasons I concluded some time ago that we are in the age of the ‘accidental project sponsor’.

But how do you effectively go about developing project sponsors inside an organisation? In my book ‘Strategies for Project Sponsorship’ (Management Concepts 2013) I uncovered the reality – 85% of organisations had project sponsors in place, yet 83% of these organisations did nothing to help, train, support, guide, or develop these sponsors, and yet 100% of these same organisations recognised that having a good project sponsor was critical to project success! Go figure!

But the challenge is that these sponsors, these executive leaders, are ‘too cool for school’. And so, I have developed a process, or methodology, that recognises that a different approach is required to raise necessary standards in project sponsorship (see figure above).

Stage 1 Preparation work

Here it is important to collect some background into the current project success rates and issues, and taking comment on the ‘health’ of project sponsorship inside an organisation

Aligning terminology used (for the workshop)

Gathering any sponsorship templates or guidelines in place

Agreeing format/timing/delivery of the workshop

Stage 2 Workshop

Here the key is to take a collective of the executive leadership on a journey of understanding of the importance and value of project sponsorship in general – not to target individuals or to challenge specifics; but only to reach consensus that ‘investment in sponsorship is needed’, and that ‘there is real value in this investment’ for the business

Delivery of the workshop

Summarising output and recommendations

Stage 3 Project Manager Development

Here the key for project managers, whilst the ongoing project sponsorship is happening, is to empower them to work effectively with the sponsors they have right now. Development would include; what role a sponsor should play and what good sponsorship looks like, how to understand the sponsor they have right now and how to work more effectively with them, understanding the role that project managers should play in developing project sponsorship inside their own organisation, and recognising (at a personal level) what is needed to make the transition from project manager to project sponsor.

Stage 4 Sponsor Coaching

Here, once the awareness workshop is completed, then the most productive way I have found to work the existing project sponsors is through one-to-one coaching. Away from the glare of their peers and in privacy of their own offices, many are more open to change and also open to asking for help and guidance of becoming better project sponsors. This allows for a very personal, private, and focused engagement to bring the best possible outcome with regards to sponsorship capability; it also offers the opportunity to identify ‘good sponsors’ and ‘good sponsorship behaviour’ to use as a showcase for others.

Stage 5 Project Manager Surgery

Here there is the realisation that this is not a one-time solution and there will be questions and challenges. To follow up on the project management training regarding sponsorship, the open offer of a ‘surgery’ perhaps one month later, allows the project managers to come back with questions and requests for help with regards to the sponsors they are working with on a day to day basis. This, in turn, contributes to the effectivity of the one-to-one coaching of the same project sponsors with whom the project managers are working with.

Stage 6 – Health Check

Here it is good to take a step back and consider, objectively, the progress that has been made, and what needs further effort of focus and, of course, to celebrate success and progress amongst sponsors and project managers. If there are areas requiring further effort, then make the necessary plans at this stage. But if reasonable improvements are recognisable, now is perhaps a great time to bring the communities together in some way in a combined acknowledgement of joint achievement.

A final part – Future Project Sponsorship Development

The key to all of this is the need for organisations to acknowledge that the projects they sanction are the ones they believe will deliver the business’s strategic objectives. To succeed in these initiatives, then it is logical that they would want these projects to be as low-risk as possible and key, if not critical. Part of this low-risk management strategy is to invest in and support great project sponsors – now and in the future. Therefore, to formalise project sponsorship development can be considered the best possible investment for future change.

Peter Taylor is a PMO expert who has built and led four global PMOs across several industries, and has advised many other organisations in PMO and PM strategy.

He is also the author of the number 1 bestselling project management book ‘The Lazy Project Manager’, along with many other books on project leadership, PMO development, project marketing, project challenges and ‘Strategies for Project Sponsorship’.

In the last 5 years, he has delivered over 250 lectures around the world in over 25 countries and has been described as ‘perhaps the most entertaining and inspiring speaker in the project management world today’.

His mission is to teach as many people as possible that it is achievable to ‘work smarter and not harder’ and to still gain success in the battle of the work/life balance.

More information can be found at www.thelazyprojectmanager.com – and through his free podcasts in iTunes.

International Project Management Day 2013

International Project Management Day

The international project management day (IPM day) is intended to encourage project based organizations worldwide or organizations who utilize project management methodologies to schedule some type of recognition event within their organizations or coordinated locally with others to truly demonstrate appreciation for the achievements of project managers and their teams.

Check this website out as it provides you with the contacts, information, and resources to help you plan your organizations IPM day and to help you get your area’s IPM day proclamation to help project managers in your area receive acknowledgement and appreciation for their work.

IPM Day is the first Thursday of November – 7^th November this year – IPM DAY WEBSITE

Creativity is essential for successful projects!

Come join Stephen Dowling and ET Management Training, for a supercharged networking breakfast to celebrate International Project Management Day 2013 and unlock your hidden creativity.

Breakfast event: 14th November 2013, 7-9am – Melbourne, Australia INFORMATION

Bonus: There will be a World Exclusive from The Lazy Project Manager at this event.

Don’t miss it!

Celebrate with A Special Gift for your Team Members

And why not treat your project team members with some real FUN this IPM Day 2013.

Get them a copy of The Project Manager Who Smiled by Peter Taylor.

GET THE PM WHO SMILED

Gaining access to an Unavailable Sponsor

Gaining Access to an Unavailable Sponsor…

…goes far beyond talking the Sponsor’s Assistant into rescheduling the calendar!  It involves a fundamental shift in the sponsor’s perspective.  But how?

If you want to learn the Number 1 way to shift the sponsor’s view of you and many more effective techniques to deal with difficult sponsor behavior, register for a complimentary webinar called “Sponsor Influence Strategies– Masterclass” available for just one more week.

You’ll meet a colleague of mine, Kimberlee Williams who has advanced experience in change management, having led the global change management program for one of the largest, most respected pharmaceutical companies in the world (she’s also a former PMO leader and BlackBelt) and is now sharing her knowledge about dealing with difficult sponsors directly through this webinar. WEBINAR BOOKING

She’ll disclose her personal advice for dealing with the four mindset and behavior shifts that will accelerate a better relationship with your sponsor so you can get them to do what’s essential for project success. It also covers common mistakes and the Top 5 sponsor problems (including exactly what to do about them).

You ‘ll  receive several downloads including a very useful framework that will help you transform your role with your sponsor from ‘hands-on’ to ‘strategic advisor’, program action guide, and others. In addition, you are going to receive exclusive access to a free 3-part video series (1.5 hours) that dives into the other six project ‘people elements’ you must manage in order to be successful.  You can watch the videos yourself at your leisure and are also welcome to share them with others on your team.

Peter

PS: Don’t forget,  Kimberlee is offering a nice bonus with this program.  It’s not for sale anywhere and would probably be worth at least $65-70 USD if you were going to buy it.  You’ll get access to a free 3-part video series (1.5 hours) which explains the ‘7 critical people elements’ that most contribute to project failure rates, then covers her best tips to solve those.  It also tells you the exact technique to reframe your sponsor. You can watch the videos yourself and can share them with others on your team. CHECK IT OUT

PPS: In that program, you can learn how to post a simple reply to the video that could win you $700 USD, paid in November. WATCH AND WIN

Is this you?

One of the surveys for my book – Strategies for Project Sponsorship – showed a startling statistic:

85% of companies surveyed said they had project sponsorship in place

83% of companies stated that they did nothing to train, support, guide, or help their sponsors in any way at all

And yet 100% of companies stated that having a good sponsor in place was critical to project success!

Do you recognise this imbalance in your company?

If so, and you want some quick and effective new ways to deal with your sponsor, you’ll want attend a complimentary webinar called ‘Sponsor Influence Strategies- Masterclass’.

Unlike some other programs that tell you to go-change-your-sponsor, this one focuses on things that are 100% under your control…the four mindset and behavior shifts you have to make in order to influence your sponsor and get what you want. It also covers common mistakes and the Top 5 sponsor problems (including exactly what to do about them).

You’ll get several downloads including a very useful framework that will help you transform your role with your sponsor from ‘hands-on’ to ‘strategic advisor’, program action guide, and others. In addition, you are going to receive exclusive access to a free 3-part video series (1.5 hours) that dives into the other six project ‘people elements’ you must manage in order to be successful.  You can watch the videos yourself at your leisure and are also welcome to share them with others on your team.

Kimberlee has advanced experience in change management, having led the global change management program for one of the largest, most respected pharmaceutical companies in the world (she’s also a former PMO leader and BlackBelt) and is now sharing her knowledge about dealing with difficult sponsors directly through THIS FREE WEBINAR

PS – The webinar is only available for a short time, so make a bit of room in your schedule in the next few days and sign up today.

As a reminder, it is no cost to you and you can register HERE NOW

Peter Taylor: Experience/Motivation/Creativity

Peter Taylor

Peter is a dynamic and commercially astute professional who has achieved notable success in business.

His background is in project management and marketing across three major business areas over the last 28 years and with the last 8 years building and leading PMOs.

He is an accomplished communicator, a professional speaker, workshop trainer and consultant.

Peter is the author of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’, The Lazy Winner’ and ‘The Lazy Project Manager and the Project from Hell’ (Infinite Ideas), as well as ‘Leading Successful PMOs’ (Gower).

More information can be found at www.thelazyprojectmanager.com  and www.leadingsuccessfulpmos.com  and www.thelazywinner.com  – and through his free podcasts in iTunes.

Experience

PMO Coaching

‘Building a Project Management Office (PMO) is a timely competitive tactic’

So declared Gartner, and further, they believe that ‘organizations, who establish standards for project management, including a PMO with suitable governance, will experience half the major project cost overruns, delays, and cancellations of those that fail to do so.

You and your business want to achieve that competitive advantage of course and so you need an effective PMO as quickly as possible, and that is not so easy to achieve if you are building your very first PMO.

My proven (three PMO s built over the last three years) PMO development methodology can be applied in three stages to aid you in achieving your project goals.

Methodology Development

Are you seeking to develop your own project methodology or framework then I have developed two enterprise scale methodologies and can help with advice and training development to ensure that the most appropriate method is invested in and the highest level of adoption is achieved.

Retrospectives (Lessons Learned)

One of the ‘missing links’ for many projects and yet one of the most valuable learning points – the retrospective will deliver both the hard fact experience and the emotional learning from the project team in an enjoyable way.

Lessons learned can be significant contributions to future project success so don’t let your projects end without a final small investment in effort.

Creativity

Leading Successful PMOs (1 day)

This workshop aims to aid all would-be and current PMO leaders. As a PMO leader myself I know that this can be a really rewarding experience, but not an easy one to find the right line to balance the projects and the business demands. The workshop is about successfully leading a PMO (whatever you understand by those three letters) to deliver better projects, better business to the customers of those projects and to the organisation that you work for, and to best serve the contributing project managers from both a professional and a personal perspective.

The workshop will explore some of the research carried out by myself for my book ‘Leading Successful PMOs’ (Gower). The book brings together the experience and views of PMO leaders from around the world and the project managers that work within the PMOs, as well as those who are now seeking leaders for their PMOs.

The Lazy Project Manager and the Project from Hell (0.5 day or 1 day)

Why learn about Project Success and Failure Factors in a dry, traditional manner when instead, you could participate in rescuing the Project from Hell in this exciting interactive and fun workshop? Compete with your colleagues in bringing this project back from the brink of complete failure and in to the realms of success – from hell to heaven.

The Lazy Project Manager (1 to 5 days)

Learn about the art of productive laziness with The Lazy Project Manager; understanding what is meant by the ‘productive lazy’ approach to Projects (and life) and learn how to apply these lessons ‘to be twice as productive and still leave the office early’.

The course will cover the definition of productive laziness, the science behind the theory (yes there really is some), and will share some personal learning experiences that led to the creation of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’.

Motivation

The Art of Productive Laziness

‘Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something’

Learn about the art of productive laziness with The Lazy Project Manager; understanding what is meant by the ‘productive lazy’ approach to Projects (and life) and learn how to apply these lessons ‘to be twice as productive and still leave the office early’.

The session will cover the definition of productive laziness, the science behind the theory (yes there really is some), and will share some personal learning experiences that led to the creation of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’. In addition the audience will consider the three key project stages, one of which the ‘lazy’ project manager works very hard in and the second they should be in the comfortable position of enjoying the ‘comfy chair’ safe in the knowledge that the project is well under control.

A specific focus will be made on the third area, project closure, which can be done so much better with very little effort but with a significant value add for all ‘would be’ lazy project managers.

Leading Successful PMOs

‘How to build the best PMO for your business and keep it relevant to your business’

The presentation is about successfully leading a PMO (whatever you understand by those three letters) to deliver better projects, better business to the customers of those projects and to the organisation that you work for, and to best serve the contributing project managers from both a professional and a personal perspective.

The session will explore some of the research carried out by Peter Taylor for his book ‘Leading Successful PMOs’ (Gower). The book brings together the experience and views of PMO leaders from around the world and the project managers that work within the PMOs, as well as those who are now seeking leaders for their PMOs.

Together we will identify what it is that successful PMO leaders have and do that allows them to be successful and how the rest of us can learn from those proven experiences.

The Lazy Winner

‘Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy’

Learn about the art of productive laziness with The Lazy Winner; Through the strength of saying ‘No’ and the skill of saying ‘Yes’ and understand how being ‘lazy’ can make you more successful?

Meet Nigel our hero and enjoy some of his educational sense of humour as well learning how he progresses on the path of enlightenment in all things ‘lazy’.

Escape your own limiting comfort zone with the influence of 5 and the relationship of 6 and gain insight in to how get past any roadblocks that life throws at you.

Sensational Presentational

We aren’t born to be professional level presenters but through this entertaining presentation the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ of good presentations are explored along with a ‘how to prepare’ for that all important presentation.

With a few simple lessons taught through the very medium of ‘presentation’ the audience will take away some great ideas for improving their technique.

Customised Presentation

Peter is happy to develop a presentation specifically for your event, just contact him to discuss your requirements. Presentations can be anything from 20 minutes through to 2 hours, or indeed full day training courses/workshops are also available.

References

“Peter is a powerful, passionate and persuasive speaker. His presentation at the PMI Gdansk Branch, Poland Chapter event was one of the most exciting and memorable speeches we’ve ever had!”

Malgorzata Kusyk, Project Manager, Thomson Reuters January 2011

“Peter Taylor spoke at the NYC chapter of PMI Professional Development Day September 24, 2010. His presentation was “The Lazy Project Manager”.

The meeting room was “standing room only”. His presentation was informative, educational and entertaining. Peter is a self-effacing presenter poking fun at himself. All of this is what makes his presentation so good. If you are looking for a terrific presenter for your event, I highly recommend Peter.”

Karen Fox, President, PMI NYC September 2010

“Entertaining public speaker and world-famous author of The Lazy Project Manager Peter has spoken at a number of PMI UK events and has always been very well received. Highly recommend his book too! All this and a day job…read the book to find out how!”

Chris Field, President, PMI UK Chapter November 2009

“Peter was one of the keynote speakers at the New Zealand Chapter Project Management 2011 Conference. His humorous and engaging style grabbed everyone from the moment he started until the very moment he stopped. If that’s being “Lazy” then fantastic.  Given the fact that Peter had only arrived from the UK a couple of days earlier I thought his energy levels were amazing. We were thrilled with Peter’s performance.”

Rachna Vijan, PMI Conference Convener, New Zealand July 2011

“Peter is a fantastic public speaker and a highly knowledgeable expert. He has a unique ability to deliver even the most complex messages with ease, using humour to connect with the audience, leaving a lasting impression. It’s a pleasure to know him and I look forward to the next opportunity to work again.”

Mihaly Nagy, Project Zone; Copenhagen and Budapest 2010 and 2011

Contact

To find out more about The Lazy Project Manager or to discuss a speaking opportunity then please:

Email to: peter.b.taylor@btinternet.com

Phone:    +44 (0)2476 540324

 

SPEAKER: AUTHOR: TRAINER: COACH: CONSULTANT

Peter is a dynamic and commercially astute professional who has achieved notable success in business.

His background is in project management and marketing across three major business areas over the last 28 years and with the last 8 years building and leading PMOs.

He is an accomplished communicator, a professional speaker, workshop trainer and PM/PMO consultant.

Peter is the author of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’, The Lazy Winner’ and ‘The Lazy Project Manager and the Project from Hell’ (Infinite Ideas), as well as ‘Leading Successful PMOs’ (Gower).

More information can be found at www.thelazyprojectmanager.com  and www.leadingsuccessfulpmos.com  and www.thelazywinner.com  – and through his free podcasts in iTunes.

All new challenges welcome!

On a personal note I just wanted to share some news with you – as from 1st July I will be going independent and, naturally, wanted you all to know. This has been a long time coming and, with the backlog of successful books, the track record of popular presentations around the world, and the launching of my eLearning course through RMC (more about that in a future update) now is the time it feels to make the ‘jump’.

Beyond what you can find on my profile (see www.thelazyprojectmanager.com ) I would be very keen on any PMO coaching or project management development consultancy.

I am happy to travel the world and would love to hear from you if you feel that we can work together in any way in the coming months.

Thanks and ‘be lazy’

Peter

 

 

SPEAKER: AUTHOR: TRAINER: COACH: CONSULTANT

Peter is a dynamic and commercially astute professional who has achieved notable success in business.

His background is in project management and marketing across three major business areas over the last 28 years and with the last 8 years building and leading PMOs.

He is an accomplished communicator, a professional speaker, workshop trainer and PM/PMO consultant.

Peter is the author of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’, The Lazy Winner’ and ‘The Lazy Project Manager and the Project from Hell’ (Infinite Ideas), as well as ‘Leading Successful PMOs’ (Gower).

More information can be found at www.thelazyprojectmanager.com  and www.leadingsuccessfulpmos.com  and www.thelazywinner.com  – and through his free podcasts in iTunes.